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How much food to give a small fish?

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Madam Bijoux

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Friends of mine are away this week and asked me to give their fish "a few pellets of food". The fish is between 3 & 4 inches long and is in a regular bowl (not a tank). I''m afraid I put too much food in the bowl because the water has become clouded. Of course, they didn''t leave anything for me to use to change the water in the bowl. I''m worried that the fish will get sick. Does anyone know how many pellets to feed one small fish and how often I should put them in the bowl? Is the cloudy water reason to worry?
 
I would think the cloudy water is reason to worry, definitely. Is there a filter on the tank?

Does the bottle of fish food say how many pellets to give? I know for flake food you give just a few flakes.

I suggest calling your local pet store and asking for guidance. Cleaning the bowl isn''t hard, just be sure to move some of the existing water to a bowl/glass and put the fish in there (use a net from a pet store) while you clean out the bowl. The biggest thing, if I remember correctly, is getting the temperature of the water correct so you don''t shock the fish.
 
Hi, Hudson. The fish isn''t in a tank - it''s in a small bowl. They didn''t leave a net there or anything for me to clean the bowl. The food is very small pellets and not flaky at all. I''ll try to replace some of the water this evening as best I can, and hope for the best. Would putting too many pellets of food in the bowl make the water get like that?
 
Yes, giving too many pellets can make the water cloudy.

One thing you could try to do is move the fish and existing water into a new glass/bowl and then clean and refill the existing bowl with water. I believe tap would be OK, bottled/distilled might not have enough O2 in it (?). Let the new bowl sit on the counter for awhile (like maybe an hour) and come to room temp or close to the same temp as the existing water. Then move the fish over to the new bowl. You could probably pour the water through your fingers over the sink (like you''re separating an egg with your hand, and then quickly move the fish into the new water.
 
Thanks,HudsonHawk. I''ll give it a try this evening - I hope the little guy is OK.
 
It sounds like the fish might be a Beta, is it brightly colored with fancy fins? If so, they only need like 3 of the little pellets, their stomach is the size of their eye, so not much food is needed.
 
Hi, Mustang Gal. It''s a dark colored fish with a big tail fin.
 
3-4 pellets
 
always better to feed less then too much. i would just give him a few pellets every other day.
 
I had a gold fish in a bowl (no filter) and I had to use distilled water (not tap) or it would go belly up.
 
3 pellets every other day. If you change the water with tap, let it sit out for 24 hrs before moving the fish, as this lets the toxins evaporate. Good luck!
 
This sounds like a beta fish and the food sounds like Beta food, which is very tiny round pellets. You hardly need to give them much at all if it is a beta. Just one or two per day is all. They have more trouble if you feed them too much.

Gosh, your friend should have given you instructions. Google up beta fish and see if it looks like the one you are in charge of. Betas are pretty hardy and they do not need a filtered tank, like a goldfish needs.
 
This thread brings to mind one of the more memorable picture books from when I was a kid -- A Fish Out of Water.

As to how much to feed, I haven't a clue.
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But that book did drive home the message that you should never, ever overfeed a pet fish!
 
Update: The fish is a Beta. He''s a beautiful dark blue/purple. I looked at the food container (which I should have done in the first place), and it says it''s beta food. He seems to be doing OK. He doesn''t move around much, but he does move when I pick up the bowl. I hope my friends get home early on Sunday. Thanks again, everyone.
 
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